Back Navigation Shortcuts for Screen Reader Users
Romisa Rohani Ghahari, Mexhid Ferati, Tao Yang, Davide Bolchini · 2012 · Proceedings of the 14th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2012) · doi:10.1145/2384916.2384918
Summary
This paper introduces two novel back navigation strategies — topic-based back and list-based back — designed to make backtracking through previously visited web pages dramatically more efficient for screen reader users. The fundamental problem is that when blind users need to return to a previously visited page, the browser's traditional back button forces them through every intermediate page one at a time, requiring them to listen to enough of each page to recognize it and decide whether to continue backtracking. This is extremely inefficient on content-rich websites with complex information architectures. Topic-based back leverages the conceptual structure of websites by recognizing that multiple pages often belong to the same "topic" (e.g., a program description, admission page, and curriculum page all belong to a Ph.D. program topic). Instead of backtracking through every page, users can jump directly back to the last visited topic, skipping all pages within it. List-based back similarly allows users to jump directly to previously visited list or index pages, which serve as navigation hubs. Both strategies were implemented in Webtime, an accessible website about the history of the Web, built for blind and low-vision high school students at the Indiana School for the Blind and Visually Impaired.
Key findings
A controlled study with 10 blind high school students (ages 14-18, all with at least one year of screen reader experience using Window-Eyes v7.5) demonstrated significant improvements. Topic-based back reduced task completion time by 40% (36.47 sec vs. 60.87 sec, p<.05), reduced backtracked pages by 60% (2.10 vs. 5.30, p<.05), and reduced keystrokes by 67% (4.60 vs. 13.80, p<.05). List-based back showed even stronger results: 79% faster task completion (11.08 sec vs. 53.03 sec, p<.05), 83% fewer backtracked pages (1.00 vs. 6.06, p<.05), and 87% fewer keystrokes (2.22 vs. 16.67, p<.05). Both strategies also improved subjective navigation experience and reduced perceived cognitive effort, though these differences did not reach statistical significance with the small sample. In interviews, 90% of participants preferred topic-based back over traditional back, and all participants preferred list-based back over traditional. Participants expressed enthusiasm, with one stating: "I am glad that somebody actually has come up with this option and that somebody out there thinks about blind people." An interesting finding was that users' mental models differed from the designers' — participants perceived both strategies as fulfilling the same general "go back to where you need to go" function, rather than distinguishing between topic-level and list-level navigation.
Relevance
This paper makes a compelling case that technical accessibility (WCAG compliance) is necessary but insufficient — websites must also be usably accessible. The research demonstrates that navigation design at the information architecture level, not just the individual page level, has a profound impact on the screen reader browsing experience. The proposed strategies are broadly applicable to content-rich websites with structured information architectures, including e-commerce, educational, healthcare, and news sites. For web developers and designers, the key takeaway is that back navigation is a critical but overlooked interaction for screen reader users, and that providing semantic shortcuts based on content structure can dramatically reduce both time and cognitive effort. The concept of operating at the topic or list level rather than the page level represents a shift in thinking about accessible navigation that remains relevant as websites grow increasingly complex. The work also highlights the value of conducting research directly with blind users in authentic educational settings.
Tags: screen readers · navigation · information architecture · blind users · web accessibility · usable accessibility · back navigation · aural browsing · cognitive load
Standards referenced: WCAG